Italian cuisine · Soups & Stews

Sopa Coada

Venetian layered soup of braised pigeon meat and toasted bread, baked for hours in the oven under broth.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 2 pigeons (oven-ready, or 2 guinea fowl legs instead)
• 1 onion
• 1 carrot
• 1 stalk celery
• 100 ml white wine
• 1.5 l rich beef stock
• 8 slices stale white bread
• 100 g Parmesan
• 50 g butter
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 sprig rosemary
• Salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Halve the pigeons and season with salt and pepper; finely dice the onion, carrot and celery, and have the rosemary ready.
2. Heat the olive oil and half the butter in a braising pot and sear the pigeon halves on all sides for 8 min. until the skin is golden brown, then remove.
3. Sweat the diced vegetables in the drippings for 8 min., deglaze with the white wine, return the pigeons with the rosemary, pour in 400 ml stock, cover and braise for 50 min.
4. Let the meat cool, remove it from skin and bones, shred finely and mix with the braised vegetables and a little braising liquid.
5. Toast the bread slices golden brown in the remaining butter and layer them in a baking dish alternately with the meat mixture and grated Parmesan, finishing with bread and cheese.
6. Bake the dish at 160 °C for 90 min., pouring in a ladle of hot stock every 20 min., until the surface is deeply browned and the inside is moist; let rest 10 min., then serve with the remaining hot stock in deep bowls.